A/N: Thanks everyone for the 1M views on this book. I'll continue the stable update from 5 April as 6th semester mid term starting from 3 April. Hope u enjoy this chapter đ
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On January 14, 1999, the day after Michael Jordan officially announced his retirement from the Bulls at a personal press conference, this news became the front-page headlines of all major print media.
"Michael has ended his legendary basketball career!"
"Michael says goodbye, and the Bulls say thank you to the fans."
"Michael left basketball, but basketball will never leave him."
"Michael has retired, but his spirit will always be with us."
"Goodbye, Michael!"
Print media such as the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Sports Illustrated have published articles.
Most of the articles praised Michael Jordan's impact on basketball and culture, while also analyzing his possible career after retirement.
Of course, there are also those who sing a different tune, vowing that Michael Jordan will return to the basketball world after a year's break.
Radio and television stations did not miss this hot topic.
Various channels immediately announced the news of Michael Jordan's retirement, and then analyzed the reason for his retirement:
"The salary is too high, and the Bulls owner doesn't want to play anymore."
The hot news is not only about Michael Jordan's retirement, but also the compromise of the players' union, which also caused many old stars and agents to speak out and complain:
"We were so eager to vote that we didn't even take a close look at the new collective bargaining agreement!"
"The players should understand what their votes mean. Many players' opinions are not respected!"
"You should look at the agreement carefully, look at it with a lawyer, and leave professional issues to professionals, and then decide whether you should vote."
Most of them were anonymous complaints, and only the hot-tempered Kevin Johnson spoke up.
179:5, half of the players approved the labor-management agreement.
But in fact, many players don't care about the specific content of the labor agreement.
They just have no money and are worried that this season will be cancelled.
Mark Bartelstein cursed the players for being traitors in Lee's new home:
"Stupid compromise! Only see the immediate benefits. There will be restrictions after the rookie contract ends. If you are selected in a small market, don't expect to leave."
"Shit! This is the most outrageous vote I've ever seen. We lost tens of millions!"
For agents with talented young players, the new collective bargaining agreement is a money grab.
Moreover, in the future, new players will become restricted free agents after signing rookie contracts and playing for three seasons.
As long as the parent team matches, there is no way to get out, which is also a situation that the agent does not want to see.
Players cannot move around and cannot play in big cities, which seriously damages the interests of agents.
Lee now fully understood the new labor agreement.
He would not become a restricted free agent, but would be subject to restrictions on length of service.
The salary for top-paid players from 0 to 6 years starts at 9 million, and combined with the Larry Bird clause, the salary increase is 12.5%.
Add to that the six-year contract restriction, and the most he can sign is a maximum salary contract of a little over 70 million.
The loss made Lee feel heartbroken, and what made him even more helpless was that the players' union did not even apply for special clauses for talented players!
The management will not take the initiative to propose it.
The bosses are eager to save money.
As a result, the players' union compromised without thinking.
Kevin Garnett really won.
The salary of this newcomer is basically the same as that of a superstar who has played for 10 years.
In the 1998-1999 season, the salary cap was 30 million US dollars, and Garnett's salary alone accounted for a small half of it.
This situation really made Lee envious.
As for the team's inability to strengthen, it has nothing to do with the players!
"Fortunately, we received enough sponsorship. I knew this would happen during the vote. The president saw that there would be internal conflicts."
At this time, Lee could only lean on the sofa and sigh.
The burning wood in the fireplace crackled.
Mark Bartelstein was also in a bad mood.
This loss was a bit big.
The two discussed the precautions for endorsement, and Mark Bartelstein left soon.
The Bucks changed their head coach, George Karl took over.
Mark Bartelstein was worried about Ray Allen and prepared to fly to Milwaukee to observe the situation within the team.
Ivanka did not participate in the topic.
She just came out with the prepared snacks and fruit plates, and saw that Lee was the only one left in the living room, lying on the sofa.
The six-bedroom villa on Valley Road in Tarrytown was bought for Lee by Blond White Rabbit with great effort.
Covering an area of 1.5 acres and with a construction area of 5,200 square feet, this colonial-style villa has a grand foyer with vaulted ceilings and a fireplace in the living room, and the master suite also has a fireplace and balcony.
Since her birthday in October, Ivanka has been tidying up the house, remodeling the kitchen and adding a home theater.
The underground whiskey cellar was left untouched, but overall the house still retains its historic feel.
1.2 million US dollars is considered a luxury house in Tarrytown.
Ivanka, who is already a grown-up girl, sat next to Lee and asked in a low voice:
"Is the loss a lot? It seems that Mark is going crazy!"
Mark Bartelstein, who graduated from Morgan Stanley, and the blonde White Rabbit were able to chat well.
Lee rested his head on Ivanka's legs and sighed in frustration:
"Maybe I lost a few houses, but anyway, I lost a lot this year."
Thinking that the stocks bought by Lee had not risen much, Ivanka suddenly laughed out loud, and was soon hugged in his arms.
The blonde who already knew what it meant just blushed, leaned into his arms, and then leaned close to Lee's ear and whispered:
"How about we open a hotel when we have the chance? It will definitely make money!"
The playboy dad is preparing to divorce the vixen recently.
Ivanka is in a good mood and starts to imagine the future, preparing to follow her biological mother's path.
Lee didn't think too much about it.
Being considerate, he didn't stop what he was doing:
"That's a good suggestion indeed. Hmm, you seem to have gained some weight!"
"."
The players' union officially compromised, which also means that the free market opens at this moment.
The popularity of Michael Jordan's retirement also began to decline.
Without the sixth championship, without The Last Shot, and a three-peat, his legendary status was reduced a lot.
The 1999 Philadelphia All-Star Game was also canceled, and the regular season officially began in early February.
Many players have begun to complain about the overly dense schedule, but Lee thinks it is all their own fault.
If they surrender too early, they will be exploited.
The Knicks training camp has opened in the new training center, Tarrytown.
Lee has been living here recently and does not have to worry about traffic jams every day.
No matter how the collective bargaining agreement changes, the Knicks don't really care.
As long as they have the Bird Rights, they can renew the contract with the cap.
On January 15, the new training center made all the Knicks players feel happy when they reported to the center.
This facility is unique in the league!
In the locker room, everyone was greeting each other. Larry Johnson saw Lee and couldn't help but exclaimed:
"Oh! Shit! Don't tell me that you really went to practice boxing during the offseason!"
Lee had become visibly stronger, showing off his muscular body, putting on his training suit, and responded nonchalantly:
"It's been half a year, and this is the result of the high-dollar training course. Bro, how was your offseason?"
Larry Johnson was a little proud and also showed off his muscles:
"Not bad, at least after I won the championship, Converse arranged a lot of activities for me!"
Both of them have sponsors, so overall they have not lost anything.
Clay Lee's salary this season is 1.02 million US dollars.
Old Charles did not skimp, and the Knicks still chose to pay his salary in full.
Since the weather in New York turned cold, Oakley flew to Miami to enjoy life.
We haven't seen each other for more than two months, and the old guy hasn't gained weight and is in good shape.
"There is definitely a traitor! Half of the players haven't voted yet, we shouldn't compromise!"
Oakley was still complaining loudly about the vote.
The old guy was not worried about the contract issue.
He was just unhappy that the black brothers were spineless and surrendered too early.
Alan Houston is the most Buddhist.
He accompanied his wife and children to travel around during the offseason and did not spend the winter in New York, but there were signs of training on his body:
"Future rookies will be miserable. After the first contract, they will still be restricted. Although there are guarantees, I don't think this is a good thing."
If the new terms are changed, Alan Houston will have no chance of leaving Detroit.
He particularly disagrees with this rule.
Ewing is still dealing with the players' union, so he didn't report today.
Everyone knows that the gorilla has become as fat as a ball.
It's hard to say anything about the big brother enjoying life early:
"After playing in New York for a lifetime, what's wrong with enjoying life after winning a championship?"
After the start of the new season, Ewing will most likely use the game as a substitute for training.
Several people came to the training ground.
Oakley looked around and didn't see Starks.
He couldn't help but muttered in a low voice:
"Why hasn't John come yet? Don't tell me he's lost!"
Division championship and championship banners were hung around the arena, and Lee and Ewing's jerseys were hung on the sidelines like those of the legends.
The brand new venue also made the atmosphere group excited and they kept discussing.
Assistant coach Thibodeau began to arrange simple physical tests for the players.
Jeff Van Gundy on the side kept nodding.
Generally speaking, the players were in good shape!
Especially when he saw that Lee's speed and agility did not seem to decrease after gaining weight, Van Gundy was completely relieved.
On the first day of registration, everyone mainly underwent physical examinations and visited the new training center.
Since the free market had just opened, many people were nervous, so Van Gundy encouraged everyone and ended the training session early on the first day.
Assistant coach Don Chaney was very satisfied with the players' condition.
He showed them some simple physical test data and said with a smile,
"I knew that Lee would not relax his requirements on himself. He will definitely become a superstar!"
The bald young commander took the basic data and looked at it.
He nodded without smiling:
Height barefoot: 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters)
Wingspan: 201cm
Weight: 95.2kg
The weight has increased a lot compared to last year.
Considering that in simple tests, the baseline shuttle run and 3/4 court sprint have improved a little, the bald young coach is naturally very satisfied.
Over the past six months, Lee's weight has continued to increase and his body fat percentage has reached 9.8%.
As a result, he has indeed become a lot stronger.
If Pat Riley was the coach, this body fat percentage would most likely be in the middle or lower levels of the team, but Jeff Van Gundy didn't care about that.
He just suddenly thought of Ewing and couldn't help asking:
"How's Pat doing?"
Several assistant coaches looked at each other, but in the end, no one said anything.
They gave the bald young coach a look:
"Let's practice with the game."
When Lee returned to his home in Tarrytown, he received a text message from Starks at dinner time:
"I may have to leave the team, Lee, I wish you good luck!"
Perhaps because of the bad relationship between him and General Manager Grunfeld, Starks did not report at all.
Lee simply replied to the message, but he was not too surprised.
If it weren't for old Charles' request, several old guys except Ewing would have been traded, and Oakley would not have signed a two-year, $15 million contract.
After all, Lee did not say anything good for these veterans at the time and his reaction was very bland.
General Manager Grunfeld knew what was going on.
Since he couldn't change the starting lineup, he sent away Starks, who was declining in the bench lineup.
Although he didn't remember the old times, Lee didn't feel any burden in his heart.
The Knicks' locker room culture is mainly composed of Starks, Oakley and Ewing.
In order to fully control the team, the old guys have to leave, but Ewing is the team's meritorious service, and Oakley has taken over the defensive lineup.
Unless these two are extremely bad, they will most likely retire from the team.
Lee looked at the scenery outside the window, glanced at the message on his mobile phone, called out the simple talent panel, and confirmed his physical condition again:
The three new talents obtained last season are still silver, which means that his body is still growing.
The two golden talents, [Allen Iverson's Excellent Ball Sense] and [Allen Iverson's Excellent Physical Fitness], have disappeared and been completely digested.
After converting to the attribute panel, there are significant changes:
Speed: 87, Defensive Agility: 93,
The improvement of these two attributes brings [Movement] to 90;
Breakthrough layup: 92, Breakthrough dunk: 85, Ball handling speed: 86, Foul drawing: 87,
The four attributes increased [Breakthrough] slightly to 88;
Ball control: 95, Passing vision: 94, Passing IQ: 95, Passing accuracy: 94,
As the game experience increased [Organization] also rose to 95;
[Mid-range shot]: 92, [Three-point shot]: 95,
The two open shooting attributes only improved slightly.
The four attributes of [Inside Defense], [Outside Defense], [Steals], and [Rebounds] have not changed at all.
After two seasons, the defensive end is still at the average level of the No. 1 position.
When Lee saw that [Physical Strength] was still 97, he realized that this was the limit of the golden talent.
After replying to Starks' message, Lee sent a text message to Ewing, briefly introducing the team's situation, and then threw the phone aside.
The situation of the Knicks is somewhat awkward.
The newcomers are in their ascendant period, while the veterans may decline drastically.
As long as Lee thinks of the fat gorilla, he is a little worried about the record this season:
"Sure enough, excellent big men are still extremely rare"
After the Knicks training camp opened, Jeff Van Gundy led everyone in training step by step.
Ewing officially returned to the team on the 21st, which also means that the players' union is about to sign a formal contract with the league, and the new labor-management agreement has been finalized.
On the morning of the 21st, Starks still did not come to the training center.
The Knicks players realized something, and by noon, everyone knew the news.
The Warriors sent out throat-locking expert Latrell Sprewell;
The Knicks sent out John Starks, Chris Mills, and Terry Cummings, three for one, and successfully got an All-Star guard.
During lunch, everyone was eating at the training center.
The coaching staff was a little surprised when they heard the news.
Jeff Van Gundy, who was eating, suddenly felt his throat tighten when he heard the discussion.
Thinking that Sprewell seemed to have the attributes of a locker room bomb, he couldn't help but mutter in his heart:
"There are only more than two months of regular season left. This deal is simply nonsense!"
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